UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
S^r^FmfL. 
BULLETIN No. 769 
Contribution from the Bureau of Chemistry 
CARL L. ALSBERG, Chief 
Washington, D. C. 
February 10, 1919 
THE PRODUCTION AND CONSERVATION OF FATS 
AND OILS IN THE UNITED STATES. 1 
By Herbert S. Bailey, Chemist in Charge, Oil, Fat, and Wax Laboratory, in collabo- 
ration with B. E. Reuter, Chief, Fats and Oils Division, U. S. Food Administration. 
CONTENTS. 
Importance of fats and oils 1 
Domestic production and importation 2 
Terminology and technology of oil trade . — 8 
How to safeguard our oil and fat supply 10 
Vegetable oils: 
Cottonseed oil 10 
Olive oil 16 
Peanut oil 17 
Coconut oil 19 
Palm kernel oil 22 
Palm oil 22 
Corn oil 23 
Soy bean oil 25 
Vegetable oils— Continued. 
Linseed oil 27 
Castor oil 28 
Miscellaneous vegetable fats and oils 29 
Animal fats and oils: 
Lard 32 
Tallow 34 
Butter and cheese 38 
Fish oils 38 
Miscellaneous animal fats and oils -10 
Refuse fats and trade wastes 41 
Fat and oil derivatives or secondary prod ucts . 43 
Summary 44 
IMPORTANCE OF FATS AND OILS. 
Not only are fats and oils a necessary part of our food supply, but 
they also occupy an important place in the manufacture of certain 
munitions, in the lubrication of aircraft engines, and in the mixing of 
paints, varnishes, waterproofings, and like compounds. Nowadays 
when a nation goes to war, one of its first resources to feel the effect 
of jbhe abnormal conditions is the stock of fats and oils. Because the 
sum total of the world's supply of these substances is less than that 
of either of the other two basic food constituents, carbohydrates and 
proteins, a sudden drain, even though comparatively small, is quickly 
noticed. A great war soon creates such a drain, largely because of 
the imperative need for an enormous amount of nitroglycerin, one of 
the component parts of which is glycerin, obtained as a by-product 
in the manufacture of soap from certain oils and fats. When it is 
considered that 10 tons of fat are required to yield 1 ton of glycerin, 
and that bat 1 part of glycerin to every 9 parts of fatty acids, or soap, 
is produced from the oils and fats, it is not surprising that the price 
of glycerin in England soared from $250 to $1,250 a ton within a very 
short time after that country entered the Great War. 
1 The authors wish to express their appreciation to Mr. J. E. Wrenn, of the U. S. Food Administration, 
for his valuable assistance in the collection and compilation of the data which they have used, and to 
Miss K. A. Smith, Bureau of Chemistry, for her efficient services in editing this work. 
96503°— 19— Bull. 769 1 
